Powerful storms leave thousands in the dark

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va (WTVR) — Several businesses in the Chesterfield area were in the dark after Thursday’s storm.

“A gust of wind was coming and we heard a big bang, and all of a sudden our electricity went out,” said Paul Tumelaire who works at Mobility Supercenter in North Chesterfield.

Tumelaire said along with wind gusts, he saw dime sized hail coming down outside the store. He said they also had to close a few hours early because of the storm. [RELATED: What to do if you lose power?]

“We had clients here waiting for their vehicles to be done so we were a little nervous about them getting home,” said Tumelaire.

Along with businesses, some residents were without power at nearby apartment complexes.

“I have all this food in the refrigerator and it’s going to waste,” said Jessica Harris.

Harris said she’s made trips to her car to keep her phone charged until the electricity is back on.

“This is the time I guess to be creative,” she said.

While residents in Chesterfield were without power, the Virginia Department of Transportation said the day was fairly quiet for them expect for a few phone calls.

“I’ve seen much worse; tropical storms…hurricanes…this could have been a bad one,” said David Wahls, a transportation operator with VDOT.